Abstract WHEN People write abstracts when they need to:
submit articles to journals, especially online journals
write a proposal for a conference paper
apply for research grants
complete their M.A. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation
WHY Abstracts allow readers to preview the contents of a paper to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it.
WHAT An abstract is a self-contained but concise summary of a longer piece of writing. Abstracts are typically 150 to 250 words and follow set pattern:
State main objectives. (What did you investigate? Why?)
Describe methods. (What did you do?)
Summarize the most important results. (What did you find out?)
State major conclusions and significance. (What do your results mean? So what?)
HOW To write an effective abstract one should:
write it as a single unified paragraph
make it intelligible to a wide audience
be concise: rephrase rather than quote
vary sentence structure
provide logical connections between the information included
use non-evaluative language: report instead of comment
include key words that quickly identify the focus of the original work
not use technical jargon unless it is clearly defined
use digits for numbers except when beginning a sentence
use past tense for the work done and present for conclusions and current applications
use active verbs rather than passive whenever possible
avoid using personal pronouns
not refer to information that is not in the original work
not include references to figures, tables, or sources
WHEN
People write abstracts when they need to:
WHY
Abstracts allow readers to preview the contents of a paper to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read it.
WHAT
An abstract is a self-contained but concise summary of a longer piece of writing. Abstracts are typically 150 to 250 words and follow set pattern:
HOW
To write an effective abstract one should: